The late Manga creator Akira Toriyama was unhappy with Hollywood after the industry ruined the loosely based live-action adaptation of his most famous work, Dragon Ball. It was Toriyama’s work that made the anime genre popular in the West. Toriyama, like any other Dragon Ball fan, had criticized the 2009 film starring Justin Chatwin and Emmy Rossum, Dragon Ball: Evolution.
Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024, due to acute subdural hematoma. In a statement released by Bird Studio, the studio that he founded, they expressed their gratitude to fans who supported his work for over 45 years. They also revealed that the creator was in the middle of several works at the time of his passing.
Late Akira Toriyama Had Strong Feelings About The Dragon Ball Live-Action Adaptation
Fans hardly remember Justin Chatwin‘s stint as Goku in the poorly-made adaptation of Akira Toriyama‘s anime series, Dragon Ball. Anime lovers were quick to bash Dragon Ball: Evolution, which Hollywood claimed to be a loosely based adaptation that explored Goku’s life. The film gave the industry a terrible reputation when it came to live-action adaptations of anime.
Toriyama was often asked about his opinion on this Western take on his most famous manga work. During one interview at the time of the premiere of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, he touched upon the movie when he was asked to pick actors for the live-action adaptation of Dragon Ball. He revealed that he thought about his choice of actors when the 2009 film came out, but no one came to his mind after the “unthinkably terrible” film. Akira Toriyama shared (via ComicBook.com):
“This is something I also thought about a little bit at the time of that Hollywood live-action version, which came out unthinkably terrible, but in the end, nobody came to mind.”
During another interview with Asahi Shimbun Digital, Toriyama was more expressive about his feelings towards the film. Toriyama revealed that he offered his help and suggested changes, but the overly confident film crew pretty much ignored everything the creator said. According to him, the film failed to understand his take on the world or its characteristics and produced an output that he couldn’t really call a Dragon Ball film. Toriyama shared (via ComicBook.com):
“At the time of the Hollywood movie, the live-action Dragon Ball, the script had too little of a grasp on the world and its characteristics, and on top of that, it had a conventional content that I couldn’t find interesting, so I cautioned them, and suggested changes; but in spite of that, they seemed to have a strange confidence, and didn’t really listen to me. What came out in the end was a movie I couldn’t really call a Dragon Ball that lived up to my expectations.”
James Wong directed the film, which was a critical and commercial failure. The film only grossed $56.5 million against a budget of $30 million and is often referred to as one of the worst films of all time. The criticisms ranged from the whitewashing of characters to the lack of loyalty to the source material.
Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama Passes Away At 68
Akira Toriyama’s passing was announced via the official Dragon Ball Z X account. The news came out on March 7, along with a joint statement from Bird Studio and Capsule Corporation Tokyo. The cause of death was revealed to be an acute subdural hematoma. According to the statement, a commemorative gathering will be planned for a future date for the anime legend.
Information ; Dear Friends and Partnershttps://t.co/85dXseckzJ pic.twitter.com/aHlx8CGA2M
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) March 8, 2024
Toriyama first made a name for himself with the beloved gag manga, Dr. Slump, in 1983. He created the fantasy shōnen battle series, Dragon Ball, in 1984, which would later spawn the popular series Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. The series is considered one of the most influential works in the history of anime and manga. It influenced the later works of Eiichiro Oda, Tite Kubo, and Masashi Kishimoto.
Toriyama also influenced the Japanese gaming industry as his art served as the basis for Dragon Quest, one of the very first console RPGs in Japan. His last project was the Dragon Ball Z spin-off series, Dragon Ball Daima, which is slated to be released in 2024.
